Category: Vladimir Putin

The Baltic Noose the Kremlin Fears

Commentary Has the Kremlin decided to fight a hot war in the Baltic Sea’s cold waters? On June 17 the Russian Navy deliberately violated Danish territorial water, specifically the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm, which lies north of Poland. During the Cold War Bornholm was a Berlin-like intelligence outpost behind enemy lines. On June 18…


Putin Signs Decree on New Scheme to Service Eurobonds as Default Looms

LONDON—President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Wednesday to establish temporary procedures aimed at fulfilling Russia’s foreign debt obligations as the country teeters on the brink of default. The Kremlin has repeatedly said there are no grounds for Russia to default on its debts. It says the government has the funds to pay but was…


Russian Journalist’s Nobel Peace Prize Fetches Record $103.5 Million at Auction to Aid Ukraine Children

Dmitry Muratov, the co-winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize and the editor of one of Russia’s last major independent newspapers, auctioned off his Nobel medal on Monday for a record $103.5 million to aid children displaced by the war in Ukraine. All proceeds from the auction, which coincided with World Refugee Day on Monday,…


Russia Bans 49 British Journalists, Defence Officials From Entering

Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday added 49 British media and defence figures to its retaliatory sanctions list, banning them from entering Russia. The list of 29 media figures contains journalists, editors, and columnists from a wide range of British news media including The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Sky News, The Times of London, the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, The…


Putin Says Russia Will Not Mothball Oil Wells Despite West’s Import Ban

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russian companies will not block off their oil wells despite the West’s efforts to lessen its dependence on energy supplies from Moscow. The United States introduced its embargo on Russian imports in March just days after Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine, while the European Union agreed…


US Wins Authority to Seize Russian Oligarch’s Planes

NEW YORK—A U.S. court on Monday issued warrants for the seizure of two luxury planes owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich under U.S. measures imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, court records showed. But the U.S. government’s likelihood of gaining control of the aircraft worth nearly $400 million was uncertain. A Department of Justice official…


What Is the US End Goal in Ukraine?

Commentary President Joe Biden recently signed into law a massive $40 billion “emergency” measure allocating additional U.S. aid to Ukraine. That $40 billion sum, which includes $20 billion in direct military assistance, $8 billion in general economic support, $5 billion directed toward food shortages, and $1 billion toward the Ukrainian refugee crisis, comes on top…


Putin Warns Russia Will Strike New Targets If US Gives New Missiles to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday warned Russia will strike new targets if the United States supplies long-range missiles to Ukraine. Giving new weapons to Kyiv only aims to “drag out the armed conflict for as long as possible,” Putin told state-run media. After long-range missiles are sent to Ukraine, Moscow will draw the “appropriate conclusions”…


Afghanistan Veteran Elliot Ackerman: What Decides Who Wins in Ukraine

“When I was in Ukraine, I was speaking to a few Ukrainian intellectuals, historians, and others. One made a very interesting point to me … When Putin says Zelenskyy is a Nazi; in the West, we hear that [as] so ridiculous. He’s Jewish; how can he possibly be a Nazi? But when he’s saying that…


Canada Adds Vladimir Putin’s Alleged Girlfriend, Alina Kabaeva, to the Sanctions List

Canada has imposed sanctions on Alina Kabaeva, who is reportedly the girlfriend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The former Olympic gymnast is one of 22 close associates of the Russian regime added to the sanctions list over the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The United Kingdom sanctioned Kabaeva earlier this month and her name was…